Suryakumar Yadav has been named India’s new T20I captain for the upcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka starting July 27. Yadav’s childhood coach, Ashok Aswalkar, expressed his delight at his appointment. This follows Rohit Sharma’s retirement from T20I cricket after India’s T20 World Cup triumph.
Shubman Gill led an inexperienced team in a five-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. However, a new face will take on the leadership role for India’s upcoming T20I matches.
Aswalkar shared his happiness about Suryakumar’s achievements saying, “I had messaged him in the afternoon saying that you would get a big message today, and in the evening, when we heard the news, I felt very proud…I feel very happy. Captaincy is a slightly different role. He played in the World Cup 2024 with great players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja. By playing with such great cricketers, we get to learn a lot.” Suryakumar previously led the Indian team to a 4-1 T20I series win against Australia and a 1-1 series draw against South Africa earlier this year.
Gill has been named Suryakumar’s deputy for the T20I series. Star all-rounder Hardik Pandya, a contender for the T20I captaincy, is included in the squad but will not be part of the leadership hierarchy.
The T20I series begins on July 27 at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, followed by three ODIs starting in Colombo on August 2.
T20I Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Rishabh Pant (WK), Sanju Samson (WK), Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Riyan Parag, Axar Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Harshit Rana.